Entropy
by rainingsun2811
Summary: Entropy- the second law of thermodynamics and meaning disorder-always increases, but when the only way to save the present is to violate this law of nature the Force will do so. Flinging it's champions Ben Solo and Rey of Nowhere just before the end of the clone wars how will they save the galaxy, balance the force, and save Anakin Skywalker from falling to the dark side. AO3
1. CHAPTER 1: BLAST TO THE PAST

A familiar flash of warmth touched the back of Ben Solo's consciousness. It wasn't enough to induce the stillness that usually came with it, but instead it brought the familiar feeling of dread that had lingered in the force like a foul stench front and center. But, as quickly as it came it slipped out of his grasp.

It was Rey, and something was wrong, so horribly wrong, he thought.

When another flash of warmth, her warmth, came to him he latched on. That feeling of dread came back, begging him to follow the tenuous string that connected him and Rey. Ben obeyed, dismissing his generals from their meeting and making Hux's face turn red and spit something about how he couldn't just do that in the middle of a strategy meeting! Making Ben's hand twitch in annoyance.

Rey! He thought to her as he chased after her presence through the grey halls of the Dreadnought he was on. But, as he chased her the connection abruptly cut off leaving a physical ache in his chest. The bond has never been this unstable, no thats the wrong word he thought Strained that's it, it's never been this strained. A rock settled in his stomach and his heart quickened as he followed the forces urging to go somewhere, find Rey, it whispered at him bombarding him from his left and right, from behind him from everywhere guiding to his room. As he got closer and closer the ache got stronger and stronger. Passing the grey uniforms, black droids, and white storm troopers that permeated the ship at all times. Once he reached his room, my sanctuary, he thought the familiar stillness and soundless echoing hit him like a space freighter entering hyperspace and all he felt was fear, all consuming fear.

"Rey," he called feeling her growing desperation, "Where are you?" Relief washed through Ben when he saw her, but the ache in his chest spread through his body and to his head. She's far, too far, no where in the galaxy is this far, where is she? He thought.

"I don't know,"she said her voice trembling. "One minute I was meditating and the next I'm in the middle of a war zone on some strange planet." She was covered in a fine brown dust, and doged something coming at her. "Did you change the stormtroopers armor? It looks strange." she said rolling to the side.

All Ben saw up until then was his room and Rey (Beautiful Rey), her hair was only half up in a ponytail, her grey robes and brown belt were dirty. But, then the pain in his head and his chest was morphed into a singularity of pain, he placed a black gloved hand over his black torso, and his breath quickened. Please be okay, please be, the strain felt like a rubber band about to snap, she glanced at his lightsaber, and realizing what she needed- something anything-he grabbed his lightsaber and handed it to her. She snatched out of his hands and turned it on. A tear rolled down her cheek Thank you! She thought to him.

Ben looked closer, and reached out with the force. Maybe if I can find out where she is, he thought, and then the all encompassing dread came back full force as he saw where she was. The planet was brown Twi'leks and Stormtroopers, No clone troopers but how he corrected, littered the ground. A ship was near her. Ryloth, he thought. A flash of white out of the corner of his eye and he saw a clone trooper with yellow painting his white armor shoot at her. Panting because of the effort his vision blurred. No! He wouldn't let himself pass out not when he was so close to finding her. Find her, Save her, Find her, Save her, Find her, the force chanted as it seemed like time itself slowed and he used the force to push her out of the way of the fire. After, all Ben solo saw was white and the tightness in his head, his chest, his entire body shattered into a billion little pieces.

Brown, everything here was brown. From the ground, to the plants, to the mountain range in the distance, it was all brown.

Rey had no idea how she got here, on this planet crawling with old ships, old blasters, and stormtroopers. Their armor was strange, some even had colors painted on, Since when was individuality allowed? She thought, and then the emptiness in the force hit her. Leia, Finn, Poe, Rose, everyone she knew and loved was gone. Everyone. Ben, no not Ben! Desperately she grasped out with the force, searching, anything to know he's alive. Please anything! But when she grasped out there was no one she knew, only a spark of Ben was still there, and it was fading fast. The force felt strange and it took all her concentration while she was hiding behind a rock to find something that even vaguely resembled his presence and she tried to connect, to feel the familiar storm that was Ben solo, but it hurt, her head, her heart, her hair all hurt. But shot's were fired in her dircetion. Once she was able to get a firm grasp on his presence she could have cried from happiness. And when she had his lightsaber (a feat she didn't understand) she did cry.

Then she was pushed out of the way, a shot passed by her brown eyes, the force rippled and Ben was there, unconscious but there, He's alive! She thought as she kneeled down checking him over quickly brushing his black curls off his pale face. She heard footsteps coming closer, "Stop! He needs a medic!" she said raising her hands up lightsaber deactivated and on her hip, the troopers didn't recognize her or him, Where are we? Her mind was reeling from the fact that Ben was there when she felt a sharp pain and the fell to the ground.


	2. CHAPTER 2: TREMORS

Obi-wan Kenobi felt a tremor-not a physical tremor-there were plenty of those on Ryloth from the unstable ground caused by heavy orbital bombardments on long-abandoned mining tunnels. This one went far deeper. It seemed like an anomaly at first, like one of the many vague warnings Obi-wan had received from the force over his lifetime manifesting almost like a curdling in his gut. Instead, It built like two neutron stars orbiting one another, and as they orbited more and more violently more ripples came from less than one kilometer away. _Captain Cody!_ His mind screamed as he pictured white and yellow armor. As he looked to his left his blue eyes widened _Anakin!_ He saw his former padawan rushing towards him, his black figure rippling against the blue sky. His own silver lightsaber rested on the ground- _When did it get there?-_ he thought. His white armor clad body had gone completely still as his eyes lifted towards the horizon.

"Master!" Anakin cried but it sounded distant as Obi-wan was pulled further into his trance-like state. "We have to go get Captain Cody and the others before this entire area collapses!" He shouted, but Obi-wan couldn't hear him over the cacophony of noise in the force. _How is he just standing there? We have to move!_ Anakin thought restlessly.

When Obi-wan finally was able to respond something broke, and in a violent burst it was as if the force had been set alight by a supernova burning away the suffocating darkness that permeated the force since he left Mandalore all those years ago. Almost as soon as the brightly burning light came into existence a grave darkness followed, _Balance,_ the force seemed to say. Whispering to him almost as clarity dawned throughout the force for the first time since his blooming manhood, like the grey misty mornings on Kalevala. The sensation brought him to his knees. A lesser man would have completely drowned under the immense waves of disturbance and peace in the force, his mental shields cracked under the pressure. _Balance, these two will bring balance, you will help them bring balance. Guide them._ The force chanted, _Guide Them, Guide Them, Guide Them._

Anakin was flabbergasted. He never felt the force like this, violently churning like the dunes on Tatooine in a sandstorm. And what surprised him more were the two presences right next to Captain Cody. One was bright like the sun of Coruscant, the other permeated darkness. It felt like the light was only amplified by the dark, and in turn, the dark's churning violence was tampered down and then both went still.

"Captain Cody, do you copy? Is everything alright out there?" Anakin said.

"Not really sir, two people just appeared out of nowhere. A girl then a boy. The girl manifested a lightsaber out of thin air and then he appeared. I think he's a sith." said Captain Cody panic was in his voice. "They're both unconscious now sir, we had to sedate the girl. The boy collapsed immediately."

"Just hang tight we're on our way now."

"Wait!" Obi-wan cried seemingly recovered from the trance he had been put in, his mental shields stronger than ever. "Keep them both restrained and put force dampeners on both of them. We can't risk them set loose if what you said is true."

"Yes, sir." The holo winked out of existence as they boarded the ship. Not too long after they lifted off Obi-wan's mind wandered, retreating back behind durasteel shields that had been repaired as best he could with such little time to recover. _How did Anakin not feel that?_ He wondered, and the closer they got to Cody the more his gut curdled. _I have a bad feeling about this._

"Master!" Anakin said, "What happened to you? You just collapsed, you're going to see Kix as soon as we get back to the ship." His voice left no room for argument, or so he thought.

"I'm fine Padawan mine, no need for medics," Obi-Wan said the term of endearment slipping off his tongue, "did you not feel that disturbance? It was massive." He trailed off as they landed and Cody boarded with Captain Rex and three others carrying two unconscious bodies. Anakin's blue eyes settled on his former Master and then flickered onto the two unconscious bodies on the already cramped ship. They were rested on the one grey bed cuffed with clunky grey force suppressors on their necks. Waving a hand over the boy, _no man_ Anakin corrected himself, to ensure he stayed under until they got on board the ship. The dark side rolled off him in waves. He was dressed in all black, the girl was in grey desert robes.

A silver glint got Obi-Wan's attention, "Is that the lightsaber, Captain?"

"Yes General, it was red when ignited unstable too unlike any other I've ever seen," Cody said handing it over to Obi-Wan, Anakin was shocked.

"It's crude that's for sure," Anakin quipped.

"True, but the design is ancient," said Obi-Wan. "Why the side vents? Unless," Obi-wan reached out with the force to the kyber crystal inside and visibly flinched. "The crystal inside is cracked," he said. _They were added to keep it from exploding_. He thought towards Anakin over their bond.

Anakin's eyes widened "Now that's strange." His black leather hand was clenched tightly. "It's Dark hair's over here, he reeks of the dark side," he said indicating to the man lying unconscious man lying down, dark circles under his eyes. His body naturally curving towards the brown haired girl dwarfing her in size. _And I thought I was tall._

As he watched the pair Obi-Wan slipped back into his own thoughts while Anakin and the troopers chattered on about what to do with them. _How am I supposed to guide you, both of you?_ He thought. He reached out feeling their force presences individually. _How are you even alive?_ "They both need medical attention as soon as we get on board." Obi-Wan said as he headed towards the cockpit closing any discussion of imprisonment.

Anakin's worry increased as the door shut as his master sat down and started piloting dismissing Fraser, the clone whom had been piloting before.


	3. CHAPTER 3: CONFRONTATIONS

Rey's head was pounding. All she saw was white and grey. Grey walls, white bed, white bed sheets, a grey medical droid, and pristine white chairs. Her bed had bars on the side, like the ones they used in the med bay at the resistance for especially unruly patients. _I hate the med bay,_ she thought _It's always too cold_. Rey shivered and looked at the medical droid that now started toward her.

"Hello my name is FU-557, medical droid, I need you to lay down and rest your still suffering from extreme exhaustion." The Floaty droid said as it circled her, trying to make her lay down. "Please lay down mistress, you need to recover."

Rey could only stare and it, grey and clunky with silver spindly attachments. _No one uses that model of medical droid anymore,_ she thought, _it's to old and prone to malfunctions._ _And where is Ben?_ A feeling of emptiness pulsed in the back of her mind causing her to wince. Her heart shuttered at the thought of not feeling him. Despite the barrier that had been placed between them at Crait, she had never shut him out completely. It only dampened the connection, it never cut any part of it off. His mind had always bled into hers to some degree, and she figured it always had. Now it was close, _too close_ she thought, to feeling like a piece of her was missing and it throbbed; threatening to consume her at the unnatural emptiness that permeated that part of her being. Her face paled as she felt a thin string connecting them and not the ever expanding bridge that had been there before.

She jerked her right hand upwards to smooth her hair, only to find that it was bound to her hospital bed by thick grey handcuffs. Thankfully her left hand was free to run itself through her hair. An unfamiliar pressure was on her neck, almost feeling like a collar. Her tan hand reached for it. _No not the collar!_ She thought, her memory flashing between one painful image to the next of Unkar Plutt. To calm herself she reached out into the force to find Ben, feel his storming presence, and trying to tug on the string that connected them together, only to find it exhausting to even reach for it. Her breaths came out short and her face paled more.

"Ma'am you must lie down, your dangerously close to collapsing!" FU-557, Fussy she named it, said. She squirmed in her bed trying to get comfy. The itch to fill that part of her missing was driving her insane, she tapped her fingers on the white blanket. Fussy started to try and actually push her down with its claws. It was almost amusing if it didn't huff then say "Fine, I'll just check vitals then." And start prodding her with needles.

"It's good I'm in a bed then isn't it?" She said, her voice clipped in annoyance itching to rip into the damn thing and do some much needed modifications, "Ow!" she said, "stop it!" Fussy ignored her and continued on poking her and taking measurements. She tried to wave it off but it just floated around her hand to a different spot.

Her lips were in a tight line as she kept trying to activate their bond. _I closed it once I should be able to open it._ She thought. The force felt muffled somehow, almost like its light had been dampened, _the handcuffs maybe?_ She thought, racking her brain for anything on force dampeners or this feeling of emptiness stemming from her neck. _No the collar._ Her eyes brightened, but she was forgetting something. _Ben's lightsaber is gone_ , she thought a white hot streak of anger shot through her. _They took his lightsaber,_ she thought her breathing hitched.

She heard voices outside her door. All of them were muffled and male. The droid continued to fuss about her poking and prodding her for any signs of why her breathing stopped. She was panting, her heart beat skyrocketed, and tears in her eyes and then a familiar soundless echo surrounded her. A piece of her finally clicked back into place, filling that gaping void in her being. Not noticing the black and auburn clad figure next to the white armored clone trooper next to him and because of the sheer relief, tears rolled down her face.

"Ben!" she cried causing his head to jerk violently towards her and away from what, or more likely who, he had been glaring at. Relief flooding his brown eyes and then concern. Dark circles were under his eyes, his left hand was bound in a similar manner as was his neck. His dark curls were sticking out wildly and his black armor still in place. Her free hand moved to caress his face but dropping at the last minute.

"Rey," he breathed out. His mind brushed against hers, shooting warmth down her body and tingles filled the places the thin strings that had been dangling before reconnected. Ben's concerned brown eyes searched hers, seeing the tears and anxiety fading. His worried checking then halted leaving her feeling the full strain o the bond. His entire posture relaxed and tensed all at once looking past her and straight into the startled blue eyes of the male behind her, raising himself to his full sitting height. As his face was wiped of emotion. Her gaze followed and she finally noticed the figure behind her. Ben winked out of existence.

Blue eyes stared at where Tall, Dark and Broody had just been. "What in the nine Tatooine hells was that?" The man said, his arms crossed and his entire body was tight one hand was covered in black leather he wore black leather and brown underneath that. His jaw clenched as she bored into him scrutinizing his every twitch. He could feel her shock and her anger. Her eyes wandered downwards to his hip, her jaw slackened, and one thought rang through her head. _My lightsaber!_ The only thing that kept her from crying out was a wave of dizziness that washed over her as her eyes crossed. "Who are you, and how the _kriff_ did you just do that much less with that thing around your neck?" His impatience and aggravation washed over her. She gritted her teeth forcing herself to stay upright.

"Maybe if you removed this collar I could tell you." She said, her brown eyes turning hard as she eyed the trooper with blue streaked armor next to him. She stared at him, trying to figure out why his presence felt like it was reaching out. Her eyes widened in wonder, "You're force sensitive." She said looking straight into the the tan troopers hazel eyes. She reached out to him and both of the men physically recoiled.

"I'm not removing that until you explain what I just saw. Rex, I need you to step out for a second." His body tensing the slightest fraction.

"Yes General," Rex said sliding out, the name startling her, _That's not a Stormtrooper,_ she realized her body deflated. _This isn't the first order, what's going on?_ Rey's brow furrowed her anger gone and confusion left in its wake. Then she noticed a marking she only ever saw on the inside of her texts she obtained from Ahch-To and her heart clenched. _Why is the Jedi Order symbol on his armor? No way. This can't be true. I can't be in the past._ She forced a breath in then out.

"Where's Ben?" She said her voice barely above a whisper. _How did she know that name?_

"You mean Obi-Wan? He's with the Jedi Council right now, in fact he's the one who insisted you were taken to the medical ward instead of the brig." The man said, clearly misunderstanding, but again her heart clenched. "And what did you mean by Rex being force sensitive!"

"Not Ben Kenobi," she said as the man's eyebrows furrowed, "Ben Solo, the man whose lightsaber one of you took. And I said that because it's true, besides why do you wear the symbol of the Jedi?" Truth rang through the force as she talked causing him to become more confused. _She doesn't know me that's weird._ He thought.

"Because I am one," He retorted snorting, "Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker at your service, and your friend is fine, he's with Kix our medic now. Kix should be on his way shortly" Rey's heart stopped and her pale body stilled at that name but he didn't seem to notice and continued on. "You guys left it just sitting on the ground and besides you still haven't answered my question. What was that?"

Rey's throat went dry her brown hair covering her face, _Anakin Skywalker as in Father of Luke? As in Darth Vader?_ Her heart screeched to a halt she decided then a little humbling could do him some good. "My name is Rey, and that was the force connecting us. And you saw only a fraction of what it can do." Her voice trailed off as her brown head promptly hits the pillow and the medical droid kicked into maximum fussing. Her brown hair splayed around her. She would need a real healer soon. _Why was she afraid?_ Anakin thought.

Anakin promptly took off the Force dampener per Fussy as he studied her. _Whatever that technique was it should have killed her for using it._ _Maybe Obi-Wan would know,_ he thought. Walking out of the sterile room, he looked at Captain Rex, "I need you to come with me, we have to talk to Broody next. Let's hope he's at least somewhat cooperative." He stroked his chin in thought

"Of course General, may I ask what was that, what did she mean I'm Force sensitive?" Rex's body stiffened.

"She meant that you were," Anakin said cryptically as he walked towards the command center activating his com, "Obi-Wan I need your help. This situation Just got weirder."


	4. CHAPTER 4: OBI-WAN AND PLO KOON

Obi-Wan's back straightened as he sighed. "The girl is harmless, she is clearly" his com beeped and cut him off, damn I was just getting somewhere too. He looked up at master Plo Koon for help, the Kel Dor man gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Obi-Wan I need your help. This situation Just got weirder." Anakin's voice rang throughout the conference room, one of many on The Negotiator. Causing the council members' eyebrows to raise at the interruption. Impeccable timing as per usual.

"Of course Anakin, just let me finish with the Council." Said Obi-Wan doing his best to convey that now is not a good time without blurting it out. Anakin being Anakin didn't take the hint. Instead he continued on. Damn it Malachor! Plo Koon, bless the man, directed the conversation towards another topic entirely.

"Actually Master the council might want to hear this, it's about our two new friends we picked up." Obi-Wan stilled and ran through every curse he knew in his mind, Ad'ika cuyir a Whore! "I'll be right there." Anakin said. Before Obi-Wan could reply Anakin hung up.

While many things had changed over the years, one thing overtly didn't, his temper. Obi-Wan had meant it when he said he understood how Anakin was feeling when the boy was his padawan. He just contained it better, deep in his heart in a place where he could manage it. There is a reason anger comes after fear, anger is a consequence not the cause, he thought.

Obi-Wan was off balance and he knew it, his carefully gained control was slipping. His mental shields still hadn't recovered fully. It had taken three days to re-establish communications with the Council when they arrived at Ryloth. And, what should have been a simple supply-relief mission to turned into a bloodbath because of the unforeseen wrath of mother nature. Then that disturbance happened making an already fragile situation balance on a knife edge. It didn't help that Master Yoda sensed only the great darkness that came with the man, and not that bright blinding light before it. He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry for the interruption Masters, he can get overzealous sometimes." Obi-Wan said knowing that this interruption would be a discussion all its own. The other Masters surrounding him via holo relaxed a fraction at the apology, still stiff from the topic of another dark side user being found, possibly two; even though, Master Plo had done his best to steer the situation to another just as urgent topic.

Mace Windu's brown eyes found Obi-Wan's blue ones as he spoke. "We will discuss Knight Skywalker's lack of boundaries later." A silent confirmation that what little ground Obi-Wan had gained with the Council over the course of this four hour meeting with no visible end in sight, vanished like smoke in the wind.

He let out a deep breath his shoulders tensed. "Of course," his back was ramrod straight and his hand stroked his beard as Anakin marched in with Captain Rex in tow. Captain Rex looked shell-shocked.

"Pardon the intrusion Masters," Anakin said dryly, "but there are two things that are extremely urgent." The Council members, except for Yoda, stiffened. Anakin was straight but he stood slightly behind Obi-Wan and to his right as if trying to shield himself, he always did hate public speaking. Obi-Wan thought, he wrapped his mental shields around Anakin's and saw his former Padawan's form relax. One of the many habits that stuck around after his padawanship.

"What could be so urgent that you interrupted an emergency Council meeting Knight Skywalker?" Said Mace, "with a clone trooper no less." His tone hard and unforgiving, but a small hint of amusement if you knew what to listen for.

"That's one of the things I needed to talk to you about." Anakin's eyes shifted towards Obi-Wan for help and Obi-Wan braced himself and nodded for him to continue not good, "Captain Rex is Force Sensitive." All hell broke loose as Masters fought over one another, and Master Yoda's ears flattened back in contemplation. He felt Anakin's apprehension over their bond.

What? It was as if Obi-Wan's body went numb, he clutched the table for support. It only makes sense that by sheer statistics one the Vod would be. They are apart of the Living Force just as any other living thing. Obi-Wan reached out into the force, Anakin's words rang true. He had to act fast. The longer he waited the harder it would be to get the situation under control. Plo Koon beat him to speaking.

"That's quite the revelation Anakin," his voice was gentle. His holographic form looked towards Obi-Wan to continue.

"How did you find this out Padawan?" Obi-Wan said firmly turning his white frame towards his former padawan, auburn hair fell into his face. His grey-blue eyes pleading for him to play along. A few noticed, but the council's chatter only rose and then ceased altogether as Master Yoda's gimmer stick cracked down.

"Let him speak you will!" Said Yoda.

"I spoke with the girl, her name is Rey by the way, and she sensed it." Anakin said pausing for a brief moment. "With the force dampener on," his voice was quiet, and again the multitude of voices rose. Obi-Wan's grip on the table tightened and he forced in a deep breath. There is no emotion, there is Peace you can't strangle fellow council members, he reminded himself. Captain Rex was like a statue.

Anakin's eyes widened as he felt the surge of anger over the bond. Obi-Wan doesn't get angry. He thought Disappointed, annoyed, but never angry. He knew it wasn't directed at him but he flinched all the same. Obi-Wan's mental shields tightened.

Kriff, I have to be more careful, Obi-Wan thought sending a wave of reassurance towards his so-Former Padawan. He corrected himself.

And again Master Yoda raised his gimmer stick. "Acting like Younglings, you are," he said pointedly looking each master in the eye, including Obi-Wan eyes softening a fraction when they landed on him. "Let Knight Skywalker finish, you shall. Masters you are. Act like it, you will. Continue please."

"It appears that her and Ben have a force bond," Anakin. At Obi-Wan's confusion, he ran a hand through his dark hair breaking his confident posture, he sighed, "The dark side user, his name is Ben Solo. And apparently, they can just, I'm not sure, I can't describe it." He said, blue eyes meeting blue eyes, and opening the bond showing him. Obi-Wan forced his breathing to stay even, and he nodded to his former padawan. Mace's brown mouth frowned.

"It appears they can project a version of themselves, a Doppelganger of sorts, to one another over their bond." Obi-Wan said and before another outburst could form he continued on and his entire body coiled, "But on the topic of Captain Rex, he needs to be trained. The more force sensitives we can have on the side of the light the better."

"He's to old!" Another member cried out, Anakin stiffened. Before Anakin could say anything, Obi-wan spoke, shocking Anakin.

"He's four years old, the perfect age to be trained." Silence followed, "Is four too old to be trained now?" Obi-wan said redirecting the conversation. Anakin's shock increased ten fold.

"I agree with Master Kenobi, he needs to be trained," declared Master Plo. "He needs to learn at least basic control, and if he chooses to join us formally I will train him." A noise came out of Rex's throat. I could be a Jedi?

"Too old, it is not." Master Yoda confirmed, "however not asked him have we. No answer required now there is, Captain Rex. Discuss this we will when arrive at Coruscant Kenobi and Skywalker have. Leave you may." The Captain saluted and rushed out the room. "Rey and Ben we must discuss."

And we're back to square one, Obi-Wan thought. "The girl, Rey you called her, is firmly entrenched in the light." He said, "And as I was going to say earlier she is clearly no threat I suggest we allow her to roam. With an escort of Anakin or myself of course. And with this new information provided by Anakin, I say we allow contact between her and this Ben Solo. She might reveal more of what's going on if we treat her kindly." His tone lifted the slightest fraction at the end, and Anakin recognized it, Is he lecturing the Council on manners? No way. "Besides we are almost to Coruscant, 10 hours at most, we can reconvene when Anakin and I arrive, we all need rest. Including our new friends." His eyes voice left no room for questioning and left Anakin feeling like a padawan again. He's never living this down.

"Agree with Master Kenobi I do," said Yoda, Anakin's eyebrows lifted "Reconvene we shall when Knights Kenobi and Skywalker arrive. Dismissed you are." Their holograms winked out of existence one by one.

Once everyone was gone, Anakin grinned. "So, never thought I would see the day when you would lecture the council like a bunch of Padawans," he said. His signature was beaming.

Obi-Wan finally relaxed and sighed at the pounding headache. "I wasn't lecturing, I was just making a point. Besides we still have to contact Ashoka and talk to Ben before we reach Coruscant. I'll talk to him, go find Captain Rex and see how he's doing, and we'll talk to Ashoka afterwards dear one."

Anakin beamed further at the term of endearment as he turned, "Of course Master."


	5. CHAPTER 5: I KNOW YOU

CHAPTER 5: I KNOW YOU

 **A/N: Okay, I only just realized that my formatting was completely messed up on this chapter! I would Like to thank Rufeal for all your feedback! I noticed how badly I was head hopping when I wrote this chapter and have been working my hardest to fix that. It's honestly a bad habit I have, but I'm working to break it because it bugs me, but I'm glad you enjoy it! Also this was edited, again, grammatically today 11/22/18.**

Ben felt Rey before he saw her. He felt her breath quicken and the pounding of her heart as if it were his own. He felt her relief as she stretched herself over the force and a rare moment of serene calm when he heard her shift towards him. Then a sudden realization and absolute panic washed over her about something she said, multiple things she said.

Of course, he had felt her fear before they disconnected, her sadness, and her desperation as all of it mixed together and turned outward. That was when he felt his mind be set on fire, a fire so hot and intense it almost hurt to look at. A volatile mixture of every negative emotion she had felt that day directed at a singular point and projected out in the form of arrogance. The source was Rey and then it was snuffed out, and he felt her go unconscious. He could have felt more, possibly even helped her face whatever, _or whoever_ he thought, had caused this if it weren't for those damned dampeners. Familiar blue eyes, _my uncle's eyes_ he thought _,_ haunted Ben's mind.

When her brown eyes finally met his the shell of fire and false bravado broke, leaving her cracked and shattered mess of a mind to flood his. Her head sank into his black-clad shoulder.

"They're gone, everyone is gone," she whispered, "Leia's gone." Her voice rose and then broke with a strangled noise as she buried herself further into him, into the storm of his presence that was always constant, her words echoed slightly as she sobbed. She buried her mind as far as humanly possible into his, leaving a Rey shaped chasm in her wake, and It was filled with the flood of his consciousness masking her trail as if out of habit. _How many times has this happened?_ He thought, how many times in the dead of the night sitting alone in the penetrating darkness had she retreated into him? Ben had lost count. Even more so how many times had he retreated into her?

He had found out shortly after Crait from _Hux_ of all people that his mother was alive. _I didn't kill her,_ _I didn't kill her,_ repeated over and over in his mind. When he heard that it, it was as if a dark shadow had lifted from his heart, _one of many_ something whispered, and in the dark alone in his room for the first time in years he sobbed. She had appeared and gathered him into her arms, and into her very being.

"You were _gone._ " She didn't need to elaborate. He had felt it the dread, the emptiness, the lack of light in the force the moment she left, and then he could breathe once again when she found him. The dampener was blocking him from fully feeling her in himself. _Kriff I hate this stupid thing,_ he thought.

"It's okay, I felt it too." He said his voice was low and gentle as if not to startle her, almost a whisper. "What did he do?" Ben's head tilted downwards, searching her eyes. Brown almost black curls shifted towards her. His vision blurred. Inwardly he was hardly sitting up straight. _Rey doesn't need to know._ He thought.

"He saw you," she said. "He wanted to know what it was, so I told him." Kylo Ren, no Ben, stiffened. _You can't tell the difference, can you?_ The force whispered or was it, Rey, maybe it was the taunting voice of his old master? All of them seemed to run together.

"Who was he? That man that interrupted us." He felt her stiffen and that familiar buzz of panic in the back of her mind, or was it his? He couldn't tell at this point. He took off the glove on his free hand and set it on hers sending shockwaves up his arm and through hers startling her. The force rang with the contact.

She sucked in a sharp breath before speaking. "He claims he's Anakin Skywalker." He saw red and stiffened, tightening his grip on her hand, and using what little he could feel of her warmth to center himself. The force rang with truth. It was that moment a man with red hair and a force presence full of warmth chose to walk through the door. Neither Ben or Rey acknowledged him, seeming to be in their own world.

"No, Anakin Skywalker is dead." _Why can't the past stay dead?_ Rey flinched at the thought. A stone sank in Ben's stomach as he watched her. The silence echoing as she sniffled. He forced himself to relax. His hand reverting to a gentle, almost feather-light touch. The man watched curiously.

 _Because we're in it,_ she thought to him. His heart stopped. _Fuck._ It all made sense now with the outdated technology, the old style of armor, even the phrasing used by his medic.

"That's not how you talk about one of the men who rescued you now is it?" The red-haired man said, concern obvious in his voice. Two pairs of brown eyes met grey-blue ones. His white armor glittered under the light, his mouth was slightly turned downward, eyebrows were furrowed, and his arms were crossed. "I do apologize about the dampeners, they were a necessary precaution. I had to make sure you both wouldn't blow up the ship." Rey's eyes widened in recognition as she listened to his voice, and Ben was struck with the familiarity of this man's presence. His posture changed, from gentle touches to a rigid one she had seen him use once in the throne room in front of Snoke. One that was coiled and cautious like a wounded animal. It was like being held by a statue. Like a mirror, she copied his response.

Ben had felt this presence before in brief flashes of warmth in the force. He had felt it after he had vivid, hallucinatory, nightmares when he was a child, and when he first started hearing Snoke's voice in his head as he slowly widened the natural fissures in Ben's mind. He had felt it as he wept after destroying Luke's Jedi temple and it whispered of forgiveness, and as the years passed it grew more and more infrequent, but here it was now in full force right in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak. Rey stroked her thumb across his palm.

"I know you," Rey said for the both of them, her voice almost a whisper. A series of images and sounds flashed through her and Ben's minds until it settled of a faint whisper and the image of the bowels of Maz Kanata's castle. _Rey, these are your first steps_ , the voice was older when she heard it _._ That phrase reverberated through her, _or is it me? Maybe it was both?_ Ben thought. His brown eyes bored into blue ones. The man watched them intently, and his furrowed brow raised. His arms were crossed.

When Obi-Wan had first really felt this Ben's force signature he had to do a double take to make sure what he felt was real. It felt like a physical wound in the force that had simmered and festered for years, _decades possibly and it feels just like Anakin's after his mother's death_ , Obi-Wan thought as his gut sank.

He moved towards the pair his frown deepened, and his hand stroked his beard, an action that struck both Ben as Rey as very familiar. "I would be surprised if you didn't, but I'm assuming you don't mean from the holonet." His voice rang out around the sides of the room, _it's strange how there's no outside sound. It's as if we're in some sort of void or vacuum._ The man thought. _This is vastly different than we first thought._ He glanced a look at Ben, then to Rey, and then to some unfixed point behind both of them. Ben was like staring at a statue, but his signature in the force was like a churning ocean, even though he appeared outwardly calm. _I never introduced myself. Good going Kenobi._ He scolded himself. "I only just realized that I know your names but you don't know mine. I'm Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and you two have gotten yourselves into a bit of a situation, haven't you?" He said a wry smile on his face.

Ben Solo's mind came to a screeching halt startling Rey out of her own dazed confusion. _So, this is who I was named after,_ rang over their bond, he sounded almost curious to Rey. His thoughts then came back with a vengeance one after another analyzing every movement and twitch Obi-Wan made. He seemed to relax a minute fraction before clamping his vice-like hand further into hers. His mind was on fire while simultaneously suffocating, and a sudden wash of calm came over him. He glanced at Rey and she gave him a small smile. She touched his scorched mind again, guiding his attention to Obi-Wan.

"Now, Ms. Rey and Mr. Solo was it? I suggest you cooperate as much as you can." His Coruscanti accent echoed against the silence.


End file.
